Over the past week as a Residential Counselor for STEAM Academy at Rowan University I have had the opportunity to do so much reflection that I’ve been dying to get in written in blog-form to share with all of you! Most of my days as a Residential Counselor consist of getting students safely from point A to point B. I have been inspired greatly by the student’s busy schedules which are chock full of learning opportunities from college level courses, to leadership training and career planning. So while the students are in the classroom learning away, who am I to sit ideally by and pass up the opportunity to learn myself? That being said, I’ve been as hard at work as the students working on growing my Arbonne business, job searching, reading, blogging, yoga-ing, and pretty much anything else I can get my hands on.
Today I spent my morning dusting off my personal wellness plan from January and making some much needed edits which brings me to what I’m excited to share with you today because I have an exciting announcement to make regarding my vocational wellness!
….Drumroll please….
I have officially been offered and enthusiastically accepted a position as a Community Director at Bucknell University in Lewisburg PA and I am extremely excited about the opportunity that lies before me. I know that at Bucknell I will have the opportunity to learn new things, forge new relationships, and seek expansive growth both personally and professionally.
That being said, below is an excerpt of my Vocational Wellness Plan from January 2017 at the very start of my job search:
Short Term Goal: I will make my academic resume. I will work on my portfolio/binder. Long Term Goal: I will get a job offer and confidently accept the position of my choosing. Plan: So far, I have submitted lots of applications but that does not mean I can stop when classes start. I need to continue to read higher ed jobs emails daily and check the TPE website daily for updates. I will make my academic resume to apply for academic counseling jobs. I will refresh my portfolio to take to interviews. I will take rejection with grace and poise. I will confidently accept an offer after careful deliberation. I will not settle.
Re-reading this vocational wellness plan makes me so incredibly proud of the outcome of this arduous job search process. Those of you who know me well know that at times during this job search my patience and morale were stretched to the limit as I sought the opportunity that was the right fit for me. I am so thankful that I kept on searching despite some doubts and that I am concluding this job search with a level of excitement for my next chapter at Bucknell University that cannot be contained.
Looking ahead, here’s what my updated vocational wellness plan has in store:
Short Term Goal: I will update my resume and LinkedIn with my STEAM Academy Residential Counselor position and Community Director position at Bucknell. Long Term Goal: I will immerse myself fully in the community at Bucknell University and in the town of Lewisburg PA and seek out all opportunities for learning and growth. I will successfully on-board an RA Staff. Why: At my past two institutions I have made meaningful connections with my peers, my colleagues, and my students. I want to continue to assist students in working towards their academic, career, and socioemotional goals as they relate to overall wellness and success. I will model superb discipline, work ethic, and time management and share my whole self with Bucknell University.
If you didn’t catch it, I have changed my “plan” to my “why” with inspiration from Simon Sinek’s book (and Ted Talk) Start with Why. I will now be incorporating my “why” or my “purpose” into the rational for every goal that I set to ensure that the goals remain purposeful and relevant. I am so very excited to begin this new chapter at Bucknell University that is abundant with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
So, what have I learned through this excruciating 6 month job searching fiasco? Here’s just a few key takeaways:
Don’t settle. Whether it’s a career, a relationship, or something else entirely, don’t settle for less than what you know you want or need. You deserve all of the happiness and success in the world and it is yours for the taking as long as you go after it.
Trust your gut. Sometimes when we feel lost we need to rely on intuition to lead the way. Even if it feels uncomfortable or just plain illogical at times, follow it wherever it leads and trust it knows where you are headed.
Be patient. When I began job searching I was someone who swore up and down that I would have a job before graduation. Sure enough graduation came and went with no job in sight, then June came and went…still no job in sight. As one of the least patient people in the universe, this was excruciating. But “patience is not the ability to wait but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting” – Joyce Meyer. So I found a distraction, and I started a project: a business with Abonne. Find a project you love in order to make the wait a little more pleasant and a whole lot more gratifying.
If after reading this you realize you haven’t dusted off your personal wellness plan in a while, or maybe you’ve never made on at all, it’s never too late to get started. There is no greater time than now to sit down and get to work on outlining your goals for a happy, healthy and successful day/week/month/year! Check out my earlier post for wellness plan inspiration: Be Well, 2017.
Thanks for reading! I’ll be sure to post more updates soon!
What I’m Reading:
One chapter to go! Industries of the Future Alec Ross
Up next: Think and Grow Rich and the Law of Success Napoleon Hill
What I’m Watching:
Other Things to Explore: